Lenore
by Raven Lenore Robins
Summary: Lenore, an orphan child of the Narrows, can't remember any of her early childhood, and struggles every day to lead a somewhat normal life while providing for her fellow children at the orphanage. But after an encounter with one of Gotham's notorious, her memories finally begin to return, and her grasp on her normal life begins to slip from her fingers as they piece together.
1. Orphan

_RUN._

 _Lenore sprinted down the dark path in front of her, burning flames licking her heels as she barely kept ahead of the noxious fire that reached for her. Her heart pounded and her legs begged for release. She only quickened her pace in response, unwilling to give in to her weaknesses and ultimately be swallowed by the fire._

 _In the distance a door revealed itself from the fog of darkness, she reached her hand out. She would make it this time, she would reach it before the flames beat her. The distance began to close as she kept her pace._

 _Closer, closer..._

 _She could hear her heartbeat now._

 _Closer.._

 _The roar of the flames intensified, but she ignored them._

 _Closer..._

 _She lept the last few yards, the tips of her fingers brushing the doors handle-_

 **...THUMP...**

"Uuuuugh...damn." Lenore woke up on the floor, facedown on the old hardwood of her room. She grumbled, and slowly rolled over to gaze up at the patched ceiling above her. "I thought I could beat it this time..." she said, but alas, just as she nearly reached the ever elusive door that plagued her dreams, reality quickly brought her back to the run down orphanage she resided in. Someone giggled.

"You okaaay?" said a small voice. Lenore sniffed, and dragged her hands down her face.

"Totally fine. My forehead caught my fall." She said, and turned her head to see a little girl with short brown hair staring at her. She put her hands on her hips in an attempt to look stern. It only made her look cuter.

"You slept _allll_ morning!" she huffed. Lenore blinked, realizing how tired she was.

"I feel like I slept for years..." she mumbled, and sat up before attempting to rub the tiredness out of her green eyes. It didn't work, and she resolved to feel like a complete zombie the rest of the day. "What time is it, Sarah?" she asked the little girl.

"Lunch time." she answered. Lenore rolled her eyes, remembering that the five year old still used meals as a measurement of time. A knock came from the bedroom door, and a young woman entered, a look of worry on her pretty face. She tucked a lock of her dark blonde hair behind her ear as she took in the scene before her.

"Is everything alright?" she asked. Gasping at the red mark on Lenore's forehead. Lenore grinned in reassurance.

"I'm good, Miss Theresa, just fell out of my bed." she said. Theresa gave a sigh of relief, and she glared at Lenore.

"And please tell me _whyyy_ you are falling out of bed after twelve in the afternoon?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"I overslept, Miss Theresa, I'm sorry." Lenore looked down at the floor sheepishly. Theresa stared hard at Lenore for a moment before deciding she was telling the truth.

"No more late night playing, Lenore, it's not healthy for a child your age. It'll stunt your growth." she said in a motherly tone. Lenore laughed at the remark, appreciating her caretaker's worrying. Theresa ran the orphanage. It was a busy job, as she was the sole caretaker of twenty children. No surprise there, since the orphanage resided just on the outskirts of the Narrows, an area of Gotham that was riddled with criminals of all sorts. It was amazing this orphanage kept open, and the kids weren't on the streets, but Theresa wouldn't have it. She worked all day to keep the kids healthy and happy. She took on the role of everyone's mother, and Lenore loved her for it.

"I'm already taller than most the kids my age, I could slow down a little!" she grinned again, and stood up. It was true, she really was tall for her young age of twelve. She figured she'd be kind of pretty, if her unruly rust red hair that barely went past her shoulders would just stay in place when she brushed it. She walked over to the old mirror she had hanging on the dingy wall and grimaced. "I'd definitely be prettier if I didn't have these bags..." she muttered, pulling on one of her lower eyelids. Even her freckles couldn't hide the dark circles.

"That's what you get for sleepin' all day..." Sarah said, and Lenore stuck her tongue out at her. Sarah replied by blowing a raspberry. Lenore gasped in dramatic shock.

"You dare make the battle cry of my people? I shall destroy you!" She lunged at Sarah and tickled her to the floor, making Sarah create giggly shrieks.

"Ooookay, time-out kiddos." Theresa said, breaking up the tickle fight. "I have an errand for you, Lenore, can you pick up some things from the store for me? It's for tonight's dinner." Lenore snapped to attention and saluted.

"Aye-aye, Capi- _tan_." she said. "Whatcha need?"

"I'm short two cans of peas, and I need an extra head of lettuce and some carrots." Theresa said, handing her a list. "Just in case you forget."

"Cooool, I'll head out now. I need to stretch my legs." Lenore put the list on her bed and walked to the large trunk she kept at the end of it to retrieve a change of clothes and her brush. Sarah pouted.

"Can I goooo?" she asked, tugging on Theresa's white blouse. Theresa sighed at Sarah's constant need to be with Lenore.

"I don't know, baby-"

"I wanna goooo, though." Sarah's face began to turn red as she became upset. Theresa became a bit flustered at this. Lenore gave a little smile.

"I can take her, Miss Theresa. It's right down the street." she said as she slipped on her black jeans and a red shirt with yellow skulls on it. Sarah nodded quickly and tugged more on Theresa's blouse.

"Yeah, yeah, see?" she said. "Down the street, I'll be good." she said. Theresa finally sighed and looked to Sarah.

"Okay, but you must stay right beside her, alrigh-"

"Yaaaaay!" Sarah jumped up and down in excitement and ran to Lenore as she finished brushing her hair as best she could. "Hurry up!"

...

"Hold onto the bag tight, you got it?" Lenore asked as the exited the little store. Sarah had insisted on carrying the bigger bag, but she was having trouble keeping it up in her small arms.

"Uhm.." she said, becoming a bit frustrated.

"Wanna trade?" Lenore asked. "This one has your candy bar anyway." Sarah nodded sheepishly and they traded bags. Sarah dug into her to retrieve her candy bar with glee. They both walked down the old street that was nearly deserted, save for the occasional passerby. Not many people came to this area at all, and most of the building were dilapidated, the windows boarded up as ivy and weeds covered the cracked walls and ground. Lenore didn't much mind it, though. It was quiet here, and she preferred it that way.

As they continued their walk, Lenore noticed some new fliers taped to the glass of a closed up shop, and she stopped to investigate. They were wanted posters of some of Gotham's notorious with yesterday's date.

"Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow...damn." She muttered, looking at each of the villain's mugshots. None of them looked angry in the pictures. Instead they seemed to hold an expression of boredom. "They probably knew they'd be getting out pretty quick, eh, Sar'?" she said with only a sliver of amusement. The more crazies that broke out, the more the Narrows stirred with criminal life. It was one of their top areas of organization, and that alone made it difficult for anyone to want to visit the little orphanage that rest just outside it's borders. "Probably all think we're some criminal's brats anyway.." she said, her eyes darkening for just a moment as she thought of her fellow orphans who would most likely never be adopted for exactly that reason. Not many were ever adopted, either staying in the orphanage until adulthood or being picked up as young recruits for the crime life. She didn't judge the ones that left early. Despite Miss Theresa's efforts, there was little hope for kids like her to get a decent home. Crime became the easiest way to get money, and the more days passed without a family to take them home, the more attractive the criminal life seemed. Days passed where she patted herself on the back for not giving in to it herself. Miss Theresa helped a lot with that, and she was the oldest child at the orphanage. That alone made her feel like she had a responsibility to the rest of the kids. She looked down to see Sarah as she thought this.

But she wasn't there.

Lenore spun around in a circle, taking in every detail of the street to see where she could have gone.

"Sarah?!" she called out, a small shout responded from around the corner, and Lenore took off as fast as she could, halting when she finally rounded it.

"That's miiine, gimme my candy bar!" Sarah was crying, her face red and tear-stained as she reached up to take her candy bar back from the thief that stood above her, snickering. Two others stood by him, laughing. Lenore narrowed her eyes at the scene. She recognized one of them anywhere.

"Daniel Daggett..." she said, catching everyone's attention. Daniel scoffed as he saw her, looking her up and down in judgement.

"Well if it isn't one of the lonely little freaks of Gotham city...Loser Lenore..." he said with a grin. The teenager wore some nice tan slacks and a white button up shirt, the sleeves bunched up at his elbows. His dark brown hair was badly slicked back, ending in a cowlick. His cronies flanked him and crossed their arms, daring her to come forward. Lenore tsked.

"Picking on kids younger than you again, Danny? Don't you remember what happened last time you did that with one of my munchkins?" Lenore said, unimpressed. She gave a half smile. "Or is that why you have two buddies with you instead of one this time?" His grin went away then, and he tossed Sarah's candy bar to the ground before crushing it under his leather shoe. Sarah whimpered, and went to run to Lenore. Daniel kicked her feet out from under her and she fell onto the pavement. Lenore became furious "Hey-"

"Shut up, bitch," Daniel said, regaining his confidence. He snapped his fingers and his cronies walked in front of him. Sarah sat up then, showing scratches on her face and arms. She began to cry.

Lenore shot forward then, aiming for the smaller goon first and hitting him right in the crotch with her knee. He crumpled, and she ducked just before the larger one could hit her with a sloppy punch. Daniel kicked at her, and clipped her on the side. She staggered backwards as they both closed in on her. They herded her closer to the wall, but she hopped up and grabbed a pipe before kicking at both their heads. As they ducked, she planted her feet against the wall and front-flipped behind them. Daniel watched wide-eyed at the display, and she shrugged as she righted herself.

"Parkour, bitch." she said, grabbing a trash can and tossing it at them both. It was a particularly hot day, and the warm garbage that spilled out onto Daniel's pants smelled thickly of dip and rotten fruit.

"Fucking cunt!" he reached into one of his soiled pockets and retrieved a pocket knife. Lenore watched in amusement as he strugledto open it with shaky hands. He finally slashed at her, and she dodged quickly. Kicking his legs out from under him and knocking him over.

"Give it up, ugly." Lenore said, putting her hands in her pockets. "Just because your uncle is super powerful, doesn't mean you are." she walked over and kicked him once in the side. "That's for making my munchkin cry..." she muttered. She smirked as he muttered something inaudible, wincing when he attempted to move. This kid was fifteen years old, and could only get his kicks when he made someone else's life miserable. His uncle, Roland Daggett, was the reason behind his rotten attitude. He leeched off his uncle's power to get what he wanted. It was until he crossed paths with Lenore he got away with it. Last time he had only one muscle-headed friend to fight for him, making it easy for her to finish them both off quickly. Growing up by the Narrows you had to learn to move quick. These idiots assumed that size alone made you the best. She shook her head at them both with pity.

' _Wait_ ' _,_ she thought. There were only two of them. Where was the other one-

 _"_ Leno-" Sarah tried to cry out, but before she could finish, Lenore was punched hard in the side, knocking her down.

"Ouch.." she groaned before another blow hit her in the stomach, knocking the air from her lungs. She cursed her carelessness and struggled to sit up and roll out of the way of another of his goon's attacks. "Shit..." she scrambled to her feet, looking around to find something to defend herself with. When she found nothing, she returned her focus to the crony as he lunged at her. With all her energy she grabbed onto his punching arm and heaved her weight into his elbow, a loud pop sounding with a follow of his painful shout. He stumbled, and she rest her hands on her knees when he didn't get back up, taking in deep breaths as the air finally returned to her lungs. She hobbled over to Sarah to calm her down. "You okay?" she sniffed hard and forced a nod in response.

"Y-yeah." she said shakily. Lenore leaned down and hugged her.

"Good girl." she said. "Let's go home now, quickly, before these assholes get up."

"Kay..." Sarah said, and Lenore lead her through the mess of teenagers and garbage in the direction of home.

...

 **Author's Note: Some of you may know that this story existed already, and I took it down with the intention of updates and a little rewrite. WELL, my poor computer was destroyed by a flood caused by a busted pipe on my ship, (may I mention I was in the Navy for four years) the trilogy of Lenore along with it. SOOOOO, I'm starting from scratch! Please PM me if you wish for me to write specific parts if you remember them back into the story, as it has been a while since I've looked at the files, and my slate is nearly blank of some large, but mostly small details. A little memory jog is welcomed and appreciated.**

 **For those of you new to Lenore, welcome and I hope you like it! Please leave any reviews or contstructive criticism you wish. It's very motivating! :D**


	2. Penguins Prefer Ludwig

"No telling Miss Theresa about this, okay? You just fell, just tell her that." Lenore said as they neared their destination, the familiar red brick building coming into view. She was practicing walking normally without wincing in pain from the damage on her side and stomach. Theresa would have a field day if she knew Lenore got into another fight. Sarah huffed and looked up at Lenore.

"You keep a lotta secrets from Miss Theresa..." she said.

"You wouldn't know about my job if you didn't sleep in my room with me. I'm s'posed to enjoy my own room." Lenore said amusedly. As the oldest, she had her own small room to herself. Sarah often snuck in at night anyway, preferring Lenore's bed to her own. She caught Lenore sneaking out the window one night as she walked in, and since then Lenore has given her a five dollar weekly allowance to keep her mouth shut. Theresa already had plenty to worry about during the day, and knowing her twelve year old charge worked nights would not sit well with the caretaker.

' _Especially with my line of employment..._ ' Lenore thought. No, it was much better to keep Theresa out of the know, and instead blame Lenore's tiredness during the day on her personal studies. Being home schooled wasn't enough for Lenore, and Theresa often caught her up late reading through educational material she checked out from the old library down the block. For now, her educational pursuits would also be her cover.

"You could tell her." Sarah said with enthusiasm. "She'd be happy. It's not a bad job." Lenore shook her head at the idea.

"No, squirt." She said. "She's way too protective. Wouldn't like it one bit."

"Just like you." Sarah replied with a smile, gingerly touching one of the scratches she'd received on her arm.

"Yeah," Lenore muttered. Miss Theresa was pretty great. Lenore had been a mess when she showed up to the orphanage. She was only five when she was dropped off, and she had apparently suffered some head trauma that resulted in erasing her entire life before that. No beginnings. Just her name and an estimated age. It would be a while before she warmed up to anything, but Theresa never gave up on the little girl. She did everything she could to bring her out of her shell and help rebuild anything she may have lost in her short years of life. She even used the day Lenore arrived as her official birthday. Lenore smiled, remembering how excited she became when the first makeshift birthday crept closer. June thirteenth she turned what they were pretty sure was six. The day was so warm, and her heart felt full. Though she would always wonder where she came from, she was happy where she ended up, and she resolved to do whatever she could to protect that small, warm place that took her in welcome.

As they reached the orphanage, Lenore took in the sight of the two story building. A town house, composed of old red brick and a simple brown roof. Ivy crept up from the base of the building, barely touching the paint chipped shutters. A small porch lead to the door, painted blue with a floral pattern that Theresa had spent all day perfecting. A large welcome mat lay just below it in invitation. It wasn't the best looking place, but it was home,and Theresa kept it in livable shape, always attempting to make it look a little more welcoming for potential families to visit.

"Home!" Sarah called out as they stepped up to the porch. She reached up and turned the doorknob with both hands, having to use all her weight to push it open as a result of swelling from last nights rainstorm. They kicked their shoes off at the entrance and made their way to the kitchen just down the hall where Theresa was busy preparing for the night's meal. She looked up from one of her many cookbooks and smiled sweetly.

"Oh, hi, how was you-" She began, but stopped at the sight of Sarah's scratches and tear-stained cheeks. She rushed over and knelt down to get a better look. "What happened, baby?" Sarah shrugged her shoulders and looked at the floor as Lenore's breath stilled in wait for the child's response.

"Nuthin'..." Sarah muttered shyly."Just tripped on a rock..." Theresa sighed, and hugged her.

"I'll get the first aid kit, we'll put on some band aids and make it all better, okay?" she said. Sarah smiled and nodded before going to one of the old kitchen chairs and climbing onto it to await treatment. She liked Theresa's band aids. They were always very colorful, and she wished she could wear some all the time. Lenore placed the grocery bags on the counter and attempted to sneak away before Theresa could probe the situation further. "Lenore." Theresa called her before she reached the hall, and she cursed under her breath as she turned to take in the caretaker's scrutinizing glare.

"Yes'm.." she said.

"That's all that happened today?" Theresa asked, turning to the bags on the counter. Lenore bit the inside of her cheek and nodded once.

"Yup, what can I say, the kid's a clutz-"

"Then why does my lettuce look like it was trampled?" Theresa interrupted, holding up the head of lettuce. Half of it was crunched down into leafy pieces.

"Uhhh," Lenore stammered, "You see, the store has this special where the ugly fruit and stuff is half off, so I'm thinking, who am I to ignore a deal like-"

"You got into another fight, didn't you?" Theresa asked, dismissing the ridiculous excuse quickly. Lenore splayed her hands out in protest at first, but sighed and dropped them in defeat.

"They were picking on Sarah-"

"She was supposed to be with you-"

"I-I stopped to read some fliers." Lenore reasoned, gripping her jeans tightly. "She must not have noticed and kept walking. I didn't mean to lose her. And Daggett-"

" _Daggett_?!" Theresa's eyes widened in shock and she dropped the pulverized lettuce to the white linoleum floor.

"Not _the_ Daggett, no, the stupid nephew, the one that keeps terrorizing the other kids with his stupid friends. He was being a jerk, so I did something about it-"

"It doesn't matter who he is, Lenore." Theresa became angry. "Whether it be Roland Daggett, his nephew, or _anybody_ for that matter, it's dangerous to just act impulsively like that." Lenore scoffed at the words.

"So I'm just supposed to let that piece of shit do whatever he wants-"

" _Language_ , young lady!" Theresa raised her voice, and Lenore gritted her teeth. Sarah stared at them wide-eyed from her chair, her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Theresa watched Lenore as she glared hard at anything but her. She took off her glasses and pinched the brim of her nose where they once rested. She was getting a headache. "Listen. Lenore." she said quietly. "You are protective, I know, and I love that about you, but you need to remember that you're only _twelve_."

"I can handle myself-"

"And _see_ the result of handling yourself." Theresa said, pointing to Sarah and her injuries. " _You_ may be fine, but look at what happened around you. Sarah is hurt-"

"It wasn't _like_ that, Daniel started it when he tripped her-"

"And how did she get close to him in the first place, Lenore?" Theresa asked, placing her glasses on the counter top. "Why was she not in your sight at all times, like you said she would be? You _may_ be able to handle yourself, as you claim, but this is your _responsibility_ , and none of this would have happened if you had not gotten distracted." Lenore crossed her arms, her jaw set and her face red.

"You think I don't know that?" she muttered.

"So why-"

"Because I'm sick of those assholes coming here just to show me that they're better than all of us!" Lenore shouted, silencing Theresa. She didn't want to yell, but her emotions got the better of her, as they so often did. She raked her fingers through her hair, her bangs falling in front of her face. "They come here, _all the time_ , making _our_ lives more miserable for the hell of it! They don't need to come here, but they do because it's fun screwing with the little street rats! They think they're better than us because they were born with a silver spoon shoved up their asses and assume that that alone gives them a right to push our faces into the mud! I'm supposed to just ignore that? I'm supposed to just say thank you when they spit on me?" Tears welled into her eyes and she attempted to blink them back. She felt a knot well in her throat and she turned around keep Theresa from seeing her break down. She walked to the exit. "I'm not going to let them do that, not to me." she managed.

"That doesn't mean you can get yourself or others hurt in the process, Lenore..." Theresa said. "If you let them get to you, if you let them hurt you, they win." Lenore took a shaky breath, and cleared her throat.

"I'll be in my room, studying. Please don't disturb me..." she muttered, and walked out before Theresa could say anymore.

...

"You made T'resa cry..." Sarah said quietly later on as she peered at Lenore from the tween's simple bed, an old blanket covering her small body. Lenore leaned back from her little desk and massaged her temples. She concluded wasn't going to get any studying done tonight, and she flipped the thick textbook shut. Chemistry wasn't her favorite subject anyway. She instead turned in her seat to look back at Sarah, apology plain on her face.

"I'm sorry, kiddo." she said. Sarah scrunched her face.

"You're a kid too, y'know." she replied. Lenore smirked.

"Yeah..." she said. "But being a kid out here doesn't help you too much." She lifted herself from the chair now and adjusted her desk lamp to where it shined light through the entire room. "Best to try to grow up as soon as you can. You'll get it when you're older."

"I don't _wanna_ grow up. It looks sad." Sarah mumbled, burying her face into Lenore's pillow. Lenore smiled at her.

"Nah, grown up life is fun." she said. "You get to do whatever you want. Go to any school you want. You gotta get good grades, though." she pointed a finger at Sarah. "You should start studying more, too, soon. An education could get you anywhere you want to be."

"Is that why you read those big ole books so much?" Sarah asked, looking to the pile of textbooks on the floor that Lenore had scrounged up over the years. Lenore nodded.

"Gotta get smart if I wanna go to Gotham Academy, squirt." she said.

"And that's why you work at night?" Sarah asked.

"Yup." Lenore walked over and sat on her trunk. Gotham Academy was the school to be when you wanted a stellar education, but that kind of education cost serious money, something the orphanage seriously _lacked_. "Once I have the funds to attend, I'll tell Miss Theresa I got a scholarship, and everything will be hunky-dory from there." Her smiled at the thought of her plan, it was perfect. She checked her watch as she remembered work. It was nearly nine p.m., nearly time to head out. She stood up and turned to her trunk to gather her things. Sarah sat up and watched as Lenore pulled from the inside a large backpack and a folder.

"Whatcha gonna play tonight?" she asked. So many questions. Lenore clicked the trunk shut as quietly as she could, the rusted hinges squeaking slightly in protest. She'd have to fix that soon.

"Ever heard of the lovely miss Diana Krall?"

...

"Crap, crap, crap, crap..." Lenore bolted down the city streets as she attempted to ignore the aching bruises on her torso, neon lights illuminating her path in glowing technicolor. Downtown Gotham was beautiful at night, and she wished she could leave earlier so she could enjoy her long walk to her area of employment. Unfortunately for her, if she did indeed leave earlier, Theresa was bound to find out she was missing, and often times she instead ended up sprinting the last few blocks to her destination with only minutes to spare. Tonight she was cutting it particularly close, for as she was about to open her bedroom window to climb down the outside lattice, Theresa walked in with teary eyes and apologies, hugging Lenore in motherly embrace for a good ten minutes before she was satisfied. Lenore was happy they were able to mend things so quickly, she of course wasn't happy how much time it took from her already rushed schedule. She darted across the cross walk just as the red hand flashed for her to halt, and she narrowly missed being squashed by a speeding car. The driver honked and cursed at her as they swerved and straightened themselves out before continuing to break the speed limit. Lenore never lost her pace despite the incident. Near death experiences were a norm in Gotham, especially at this time of night, and she didn't have time to appreciate not being a red stain on the pavement.

" _Oh, thank god_." she gasped as she saw her destination. A large, sleek black building with spot lights lighting up it's modern features. The granite entrance was open wide in welcome for anyone with the wallet to afford it, the fog from dry ice billowing and curling over a satin red carpet that stretched outward to the valet. Lenore's eyes landed on the over-large, neon blue sign just above the entrance, it's curled letters spelling out-

"Iceberg Lounge..." she said, checking her watch as she slowed to a jog. She couldn't believe she was right on time. "Count my blessings..." she crossed the street, this time waiting for the sign to flash 'WALK'. She wasn't about to take too many chances. Once across, she made her way to the back of the building to an employee entrance. She opened her bag and pulled from it her card ID, swiping it through the key card lock and opening it to the employee office. It was small, with vanity mirrors on one wall and three changing stalls on another. White leather couches rest in the center around a small glass coffee table. A young woman with black, pixy cut hair and a sleek white pant suit regarded her from one of the mirrors as she rushed in.

"Cutting it close, kid. You like playing with the devil, huh?" she said with a soft voice. Lenore made her way to one of the stalls, rolling her eyes at the comment as she slung her bag off her shoulder.

"Dunno what you're talking about, Starling..." she said. Starling was a waitress that got along will with the tween, and helped her get used to the work place when she first started.

"Your labored breathing says _otherwise_." Starling joked, placing her hands on her hips. "The boss wants to talk to you after work." Lenore froze for a moment as she changed.

"Whyyy?" she asked suspiciously. With Oswald Cobblepot, there was no guessing what he wanted when he called you to his ice box of an office. Starling shrugged.

"Dunno, didn't seem like anything _bad_." she said, tapping her chin as she remembered his request. "Maybe a raise?" Lenore gave one forced laugh.

"Don't need one, don't want one. Raises mean he expects more of something, and I'm perfectly fine where I'm at, thank you very much." Starling shook her head in disagreement.

"Honey, a raise is a raise. I'd swim a lap with those seals in that ice water out there if it meant getting one." she said.

"I hate those seals..." Lenore muttered, walking out of the changing room. "They splash around too much during my performances. Who's idea was it anyway to put a seal enclosure in the middle of the lounge, _right_ next to the stage?"

"You know Cobblepot." Starling said. "Always trying to flare up his ice castle with novelty shit. Take you, for example." She said taking in the sight of Lenore in her uniform. She wore a sleeveless white blouse and a black vest with coat tails, and sleek black dress pants. Shined black half inch heels covered her feet. She huffed at the waitress' comment as she made her way to her back pack to retrieve her brush.

"So I'm a novelty?" she asked in mild amusement. Starling leaned on one of the white leather couches as Lenore made an attempt to calm her hair into an acceptable style.

"Uhh, _yeah_." she answered. "Child piano prodigy wows crowd of rich snobs," she said, splaying her hands out as if she were reading her words from a large headline. "Probably what Penguin thought when he found you. He couldn't help thinking of what cash he would rake in with you as one of his attractions."

"Who could blame him. I am an art- _iste."_ Lenore smirked and popped up her collar to put on a little black clip-on bowtie. As she straightened the collar back out she remembered the day eight months ago when Penguin had crossed her path and officially set her dreams on the road to reality;

It was a typical day, Lenore was once again playing the small piano in the living room of the orphanage. Since the day she had arrived there she had become almost unhealthily attached to the musical instrument, often playing it for hours. Theresa would have to remind her when to eat, and often was met with protest when she informed the girl it was time for bed. At first Lenore only played a little with the keys, trying to understand them and the different sounds they made. When she began showing committed interest, Theresa, who grew up learning it a bit herself, agreed to give her what lessons she could. Her teachings only went so far, however, and she was only able to teach Lenore some simple melodies. Lenore wanted to know much more though, and Theresa caved in to buying her books with lessons and sheet music from second hand shops. From there Lenore dedicated hours of practice, and to Theresa and many of the children's surprise, she actually became quite good.

"Competition level!" Theresa would often tell her when Lenore would master a particularly difficult piece. Lenore would smile back and continue, her energy renewed from the encouragement.

She was practicing Fur Elise when the large black cadillac drove slowly by the orphanage, the melody drifting out the open living room window and in through the partly cracked window of the back seat of the luxury vehicle. Cobblepot had his driver stop when his ear caught the tune so he could focus on where it came from.

"My, my..." his mouth broke into a wide, small toothed grin. He snapped his clammy fingers, and the driver pulled the cadillac up to the curb before hurriedly exiting the vehicle and circling around the open the door for his employer. Penguin heaved himself out, resting his heavy weight on a sturdy black cane as he eyed the orphanage through a large monocle. "Interesting..."

Inside, Lenore heard the rap on the door, and she jumped. That was an all too unfamiliar sound for her. Hardly anyone came to visit this place.

"I got it, I got it!" Theresa called from the kitchen. Lenore watched her rush quickly down the hall, straightening up her hair and smoothing out her flour covered clothes with excitement. She smirked at the caretaker's glee and turned her eyes to Sarah, who sat on the floor next to her as she played with some dolls.

"Someone might be going home today, kiddo." She said. Sarah's eyebrows went up, and she smiled.

"Oooooh." was all she said. She still didn't quite get the situation she was in. The orphanage was already home to her. Lenore focused her ears as Theresa finally opened the door.

"Oh...oh, my..." she said. Lenore frowned. That wasn't a happy tone. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Mister Cobblepot, what an unexpected pleasure." Theresa said politely, with an edge of nervousness. Lenore stilled. What was Penguin doing here?

"Uh-oh..." Lenore was sure this wouldn't be good.

"My dear, _lovely_ lady!" Cobblepot said with fake cheer. "I had been just driving by..." Lenore scoffed. Probably just did some dirty business in the Narrows. She stood, and went to pick up Sarah.

"We're gonna play hide n' seek, Sarah. Gonna be extra quiet-"

"-and I couldn't _help_ but hear that excellent rendition of Fur Elise!" Cobblepot finished. "It was absolutely lovely, and I just had to know who the pianist behind it was." Lenore went stock still, her mouth dropping.

"Oh!" Theresa said, a sigh of relief escaping her as she rest a hand above her heart. "Of course, that was one of the children." she said. Lenore heard a noise that best resembled a snort mixed with a cough.

"A _child_? A child, you say?!" Cobblepot sputtered out, losing his composure for a split second. Theresa nodded.

"Y-yes, would you like to meet her?" she asked, opening the door wide and gesturing for him to come inside. He nodded, and practically waddled as we walked in, his weight shifting to each foot as his eyes darted around the room to find the source of the melody. They finally landed on Lenore, and she quickly straightened up, tucking her hair as best she could behind her ears. Sarah gripped her legs tight.

"L'nore...issa peng'in..." she whispered, taking in the sight of Cobblepot with childlike awe. Lenore shushed her, and stepped in front of her. Indeed he did look much like a large penguin, his round body moving left and right and beak-like nose pointing right in her direction as he closed the distance between them. He held out a clammy, ring adorned hand to shake hers as he finally halted in front of her.

"A _pleasure_ to meet a fellow enthusiast of the classical arts." he said. Lenore slowly gave her his hand, and he took it limply, shaking it once before dropping it and returning it to his side. Lenore gulped. What now? "Tell me..." he said, adjusting his monocle. "How long have you practiced the piano?"

"S-since I touched that one, few years ago, Mister Cobblepot, sir." she said, jutting her thumb at the old piano behind her. Cobblepot looked at it, his monocle nearly popping off his eyes as they widened in shock. It was quite old, and to him it probably looked little more than gutter trash. The fact that she made such melody with it, to him, was no less than a miracle.

"You're kidding..." he muttered. Theresa stepped forward slowly.

"She's dedicated a lot of time to it, sir." she said. "If you'd like proof, perhaps a demonstration." he waved a hand in dismissal.

"No need." he said, surveying the rest of the room. No way was there anything else in here that talent could have drifted out from. He was sold. "I'd like to offer you a job at my lounge as musical entertainment." Lenore's heart skipped.

"Oh, wow, sir-" she began.

"Absolutely not." Theresa cut her off. Both Lenore and Cobblepot turned to her then, surprise plain on their faces. Did she not realize who this was, and how much money he could offer. When neither spoke, Theresa cleared her throat and flattened out her shirt. "I'm sorry, sir." she said curtly. "But I cannot allow her to work at such a place at such a young age. As her caretaker, I must refuse." Cobblepot's eyes turned dark.

"Is that you _final decision_ , miss?" he asked. Lenore felt the cold edge from his voice. Her jaw set as Theresa nodded quickly. Cobblepot stared at her for a few long seconds before his grin returned. He gave a curt bow. "Oh well," he said sadly. "My loss, as they say. Thank you for your precious time, best be off now." he escorted himself out, and Theresa shut the door quietly behind him. She took a deep breath, and looked to Lenore.

"I'm sorry, Lenore-"

"It's cool." Lenore said quickly, her eyes flicking through the window to the shiny cadillac. "Guy's nuts anyway, who wants to deal with that? Not me. I gotta pee." she walked out of the room, and Theresa watched her go, a brow raised at her surprisingly understanding reaction.

"Okay, then..." She smiled finally and returned to the kitchen. At least she understood.

"What the hell was she thinking?" Lenore muttered as she clamored out the back window. As soon as her feet hit the grass, she raced around the building and to the cadillac as Penguin heaved himself back inside of it. She skidded to a halt as the door snapped shut and she threw her hands onto the window. He smirked at her.

"Changed her mind did she?" he asked, pushing a button to roll the window down.

" _No_ , she doesn't need to know." Lenore said, catching her breath. His brow furrowed, but he allowed her to go on. "Look, _sir_ , you didn't like her decision, I saw that, and I don't want anything bad happening to her, okay? So, I'll work, but I need pay." the words came out fast, almost running together. His smirk became an impressed smile as he regarded her.

"Smart kid. I might like that." he said. Indeed he had dark plans for the caretaker after her refusal. No one told the Penguin 'no'. "Why so eager, though? I saw how fast you wanted to jump when I first propositioned the job."

"You see where I live?" Lenore said. "Your job offer isn't exactly my way outta here, but it does promise me an education." she said. "I want enough money to eventually pay tuition for Gotham Academy, and your wallet probably has enough in it right now to buy six full rides. I refuse anything less." she said. Cobblepot gave a cackle, some spittle flying out. When he finished, he wiped his mouth with a bright white handkerchief.

"You got balls, kid." he said, all trace of his gentlemanly manner gone. His true nature was showing, but Lenore didn't care. She waited for his decision. This could end really well, or really badly. " _Hnnnnn._.." he seemed to contemplate, watching her face as he tapped his little chin in thought. He finally held out his hand once again to take hers. "Deal, I'll have my assistant drop off the information at six a.m. tomorrow. Be by your door." he said. Lenore grasped his hand and shook it excitedly.

"Thank you, sir." She said, all seriousness on her face now. He paused, his brow furrowing at her expression.

"I say..." he muttered, tightening his grip on her hand a little. "You look familiar. Have we by chance met anywhere besides here?" he asked. Lenore shook her head.

"No, sir." she said, and he waved it off, bringing his hand back.

"Never mind, welcome to the family, kid." he said, rolling up his window as the cadillac revved to life. His eyes stayed on her through the rear-view mirror as they made their way down the street. He'd been sure he'd seen that face. "Curious..." he mumbled, before finally dismissing the the thought.

It didn't matter.


	3. No One Likes You, Charlie Brown

Lenore's mind lingered on the thought of meeting with her employer as she entertained that night. The stage was center of the vast, posh lounge, made from glass to resemble a slab of ice. She played a grand white piano, delicate designs of arctic creatures carved into the legs that ended in clawed feet. She'd at first been afraid to touch the beautiful instrument when she beheld it on her beginning night, but quickly got over it as soon as she brushed its polished keys. It played so beautifully, and Lenore never got over the electrifying feeling she received every time she began a new piece.

"Polar bear rug me, _don't_ bug me," Lenore glanced over at the beautiful singer as she walked slowly across the stage in her glittering black dress. She tossed her length of waved, dark brown hair over her dainty pale shoulder as she practically made out with the mic in her white gloved hand. "New Thunderbird me, you _heard_ me. I'm getting hungry, peee _eel_ me a graa _aape."_ Lenore sighed through her nose in silent amusement as she finished her notes, the crowd clapping as the singer raised her arms in welcome of their affections. Lenore stretched her fingers and rolled her shoulders before standing to retreat to the employee lounge area for break.

"How was it?" Starling asked from her seat on one of the couches as she walked in, stretching her arms over her head.

"Same old, same old." she replied, plopping onto the couch across from the waitress and kicking off her heels. She wiggled her toes happily. "Free from the evil embrace of the cruel toe pinchers." she said. Starling snorted.

"Heels aren't bad, you're just a baby." she said. Lenore pouted at her.

"Aren't you s'posed to be serving drinks or something waitress-y like that?" she asked, resting her head on the couch cushion behind her.

"Nnnope. I'm on break, just like you, and uh..." she rapped her knuckle on the coffee table to get Lenore to look at her. "Boss want's to see you after your break now." she said. Lenore's eyes widened in shock.

"What?!" she sat up quickly, her hair falling over her eyes. "You said after work-"

"He just called as you finished up your performance. Change of plans." Starling shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what else to say to the stressed out kid in front of her. Lenore rest her elbows on her knees as she leaned forward, staring hard at the unused ashtray that rest on the coffee table.

Breaks were supposed to be relaxing.

…...

"Oookay..." Lenore glared at the large mahogany door in front of her. The entrance to Cobblepot's office, innocent as it looked, sent chills down Lenore's spine as she wondered what fate awaited her behind it. She hesitated just once before finally knocking on the door with fake confidence. "No fear, Lenore." she said to herself.

"Enter..." was the muffled reply, and she did as instructed, pushing open the door with slight force to get the heavy thing open. As she stepped inside she took in the sight of the room. It wasn't huge, but the black walls made it seem larger than it really was. His marble top desk sat at the very back, the stuffed head of a polar bear mounted above it, it's mouth displayed in a snarling fashion as it's black glass eyes seemed to pierce into her. She stepped gingerly on the perfectly white carpet, closing the door behind her before standing practically at attention as she awaited for her employer to finish inspecting the papers in front of him. Without looking up, he waived a hand in a beckoning motion, and Lenore complied, walking forward until she was only feet from his desk.

"You wanted to see me, Mister C-"

" _Shhh_." Lenore snapped her mouth shut as he commanded, and a few silent moments passed before his eyes finally dragged upward to land on her small frame. "Ah, yes, Lenore..." he said. "What was it I-" he paused. "- _Oh yes_!" he clapped his hands together once and smiled at her as he leaned back in his red satin chair.

"Y-yes, sir?" she asked, not really liking his sudden enthusiasm.

"I have a proposition for you, kid." he said. "I have a few colleagues in need of entertainment, and you're perfect for the job." Lenore's eyes widened.

" _Colleagues_ , sir?" she asked. He nodded, and she watched his beak of a nose bob up and down before he went on.

"Yes, old friends of mine, you'd know them better as-" his eyes became dark as they stared hard at her own. "-the _Rogues_..." Lenore's knees wanted to give out at the request, and she fought to keep her composure as the words played on repeat in her mind. Penguin took note of her reaction, pleased with her silence. "The pay is good. You'd be thankful for it." Lenore took a deep breath.+-

"I-I feel that I am _hardly_ the right person, sir." she said carefully. He laced his fingers together and propped his arms on the table, leaning forward. When he didn't say anything, she went on. "I mean, I feel that I don't come close to qualifying-"

"Nonsense, you're perfectly capable of entertaining my guests for the remainder of the night." he said. "You don't want to say no, Lenore..." his voice became dark. "You know what nearly happened _last time_ someone said no to me..." Lenore swallowed as she remembered Theresa's nearly deadly refusal.

"Yes...sir..." she said. Cobblepot smiled and chuckled as he returned to a comfortable position in his seat.

"Don't be like that. We're _friends_ , kid." his new attitude was dripping with false kindness. "How much longer before you can finally pay for that school of yours?" he asked. Lenore squeezed her hands into fists.

"About seven months..." she said.

"You'll miss most of this school year at that rate, education is so precious, it'd be a tragedy if you missed out on even _one_ more year..."

"Yes, sir..."

"I'm prepared to make a good offer, just for this night." he took one of his expensive pens and scribbled something on a small sheet of bordered paper, sliding it forward when he was finished for her to take. She picked it up slowly, her hand shooting up to her mouth when she saw the writing. "That should cover the remainder and _then some..._ "

"Yeah..." she wanted to sit down. Everything seemed to be spinning around her in that moment, and she needed to shake her head to steady herself where she stood. Penguin grinned at her, bringing a pipe from his desk drawer to his mouth before lighting it in. He loved getting what he wanted.

It was so easy.

…...

"I'm staring at an awful lot of doors today..." Lenore muttered.

"What's that?"

"Nothing..." Lenore responded, and looked up to the person who questioned her. Lark was one of Cobblepot's bodyguards, acting the part of a waitress, but really surveying the crowd of customers for any undesirable guests that she would report to her employer immediately. The tall, thin woman didn't seem to have the build of a bodyguard, her delicate features on her face framed by her perfectly straight brown hair. Her eyes told a different story, though, as they constantly flashed a glare that dared you to step out of line in front of her.

"Alright then." she said, before punching a number onto a keypad by the large iron door before them. Lenore turned her head to look down the long, almost ominous passage they had just stepped behind a classical painting to enter. She would have thought it was cool if she hadn't understood the reasoning behind the secrecy. She figured with the _colleagues_ Cobblepot described, this precaution was all too necessary.

The door clicked unlocked when Lark was finished typing the lengthy password, and Lenore's attention snapped forward as the bodyguard pushed the iron door open with ease. A shaky sigh escaped her lips, and Lark lead her gently forward into the mysterious room.

It wasn't nearly as scary a place as Lenore's youthful imagination had predicted. It was large, about the size of the library she often visited, with white walls and white tile floor that black area rugs decorated. Black couches circled around a round glass coffee table in the center of the room. A wide bookshelf rest against the back wall, filled with literature that Lenore couldn't help wondering was. What did these people read? Or was it merely there for decoration? A small buffet sat on a table beside it, a small group of large men in dark clothing chatting idly around it as they picked at the free food. Most likely the hired help. Her eyes finally landed on the piano that rest at the back corner. It was a dark red baby grand piano, the color clashing almost nicely with the dominantly black and white scheme of the rest of the room. Lenore was more interested in the location, as it seemed to be out of the way of everything.

"And _everyone_..." she muttered, painfully settling her sight on the Penguin's honored guests that lounged comfortably at the black couches. A woman with brilliant red hair perched at the end of one of the couches, her elf-like features lit up by her pale green complexion. She was stroking a small vine that was slowly sprouting from a large seed that rest in the palm of her hand. Lenore wanted to widen her eyes at the woman's almost completely exposed body, a makeshift outfit of what seemed to be leaves and vines being her only cover. A man with light brown hair sat beside her in a dark green suit, a long purple cane with a bronze question mark as it's top was propped up on his leg. He appeared to be reading the newspaper he had open in front of him with his purple gloved hands, but upon closer inspection Lenore realized his masked eyes were darting mischievously to the plant woman's almost bare chest. A blonde woman with pigtails giggled from another couch as she sat upside down, her head hanging off the end and her crossed legs propped up on the back. She wore what seemed to be regular attire, a black and red striped skirt and a white blouse with puffed sleeves. Her face was painted white, and a black mask covered her large blue eyes as her deep red lips widened into a smile at the green suited fellow.

"Stop starin' at my lady's _ladies_ , riddles." she said in a cute jersey accent. The Riddler froze at the comment, and the green woman's vine grew a fly trap of a mouth and hissed at him.

"Something the matter, Nygma?" Poison Ivy said seductively as she calmed the vine with more gentle strokes. He shook his head and straightened out his paper with a nervous shake before hiding his reddened face behind it.

"Not at all, red." he said quickly in a sad attempt to dismiss her suspicions.

"Your sweat says otherwise..." someone said knowingly from the bookshelf, and Lenore looked over to see a man wearing a brown tweed suit browsing the selection of books in front of him. Unimpressed, he turned to look at a sputtering Riddler through this rectangular glasses, the bangs of his wavy rust red hair falling slightly in front of his dark brown eyes. Lenore would have mistaken him as a normal person compared to the rest of the costumed villains in the room, but she knew better as she remembered the wanted flier that she'd seen that morning. Doctor Johnathan Crane.

"Scarecro-" she was interrupted by a sudden growl behind her, and she spun to see two large hyenas looking dangerously at her as they tugged on the thick chains that kept them attached to the corner. She had never felt like prey before, but there was a first time for everything, and she stared as the hyena's licked their chops in dark promise. Everyone stopped what they were doing at the sound of the hungry animals and raised questioning brows at the sudden appearance of a child in their presence.

"Mister Cobblepot would like to present you with entertainment as you await your shipments." Lark said in a professional manner. This only seemed to deepen their confusion. Riddler finally scoffed.

"And what the hell are we supposed to do with that?" He asked reproachfully as he gestured to Lenore. "Feed her to the hyenas?" Lenore felt her cheeks become hot, and she balled her hands into fists, finding her voice. He may be an annoyance tonight, and she didn't want that.

"I'll be playing the piano." she said as evenly as she could. Riddler rolled his eyes and brought his newspaper back up.

" _Boring.._."

"Leave it to ole waddle-pants to try and showboat one of his fun little novelties." the woman with pigtails said, righting herself on the couch and looking to Lenore thoughtfully. "Ain't no place for a baby..."

"Now, now, Harley." Ivy said sweetly. "Give the girl a chance..." she smiled at Lenore. "Go on, dear. Do your job." Lenore nodded quickly, but didn't move. Lark noted this, and nudged Lenore forward until the girl's legs moved mechanically towards the piano. She couldn't help feeling very much her age as she made her way over, her hands grasping tightly on her pants the whole way. Even though there were only a few of them, their gaze made her wish she could shrink into a corner and out of sight. This wasn't possible though, and Lenore fought off her nerves as she finally sat herself at the piano, flipping her coattails out so she didn't sit on them. Brushing the keys once, she resolved to pretend that this was an ordinary crowd, and just make it through the next few hours with whatever material she was provided with, She looked up to see what sheet music she'd be using, and she froze.

Where was the sheet music?

"Okay..." she mumbled nervously as she stared blankly where her material should be resting. Penguin must have forgotten to choose something. She looked to the Rogues in a desperate attempt to guess what they may prefer. No way would they all have similar tastes. "They don't even look like they like each other..." her whisper low enough so only she could hear. None of them were speaking to each other, minding their own business as they passed the time in wait for their shipments, whatever they were. Lenore raked her hair back in silent defeat. She was screwed.

"Something the matter, flower...?" Ivy's silky voice asked from her seat. Lenore looked up to see she was the one the question was asked to.

"I-I-It seems material was not provided for this evening." she wanted to applaud herself for not stuttering like an idiot.

"Oh?" Ivy said, resting her chin on her hand. "Do you know anything off the top of your head?" she asked. Lenore nodded.

"Yes, I know plenty-"

"Then play whatever you can." Ivy said. Lenore swallowed before she replied to the red head.

"Is there anything..." she began, gesturing to the rest of the guests. "Is there anything anyone would, ah, prefer?" maybe if she just asked them what they wanted, she could go the night without upsetting any of them. Taking requests would have to do if she were to make it to see the next day.

"Hmmm." Ivy tapped her bottom lip, and looked to Harley. "Any ideas? I don't know piano very well-"

"The Charlie Brown theme!" Harley squealed in response. "I love that one!" Ivy's eyes hooded and she looked back to Lenore.

"Anything but that-"

"Aw, red! You're no fuuun!" Harley hit the couch cushion with a fist as if she were throwing a childlike tantrum. Lenore had to remind herself that this same woman was the reason many were dead or seriously injured.

"At least the other one isn't here..." she whispered to herself, the image of the clown girl's _other half_ flashing once in her mind.

"Round Midnight..." Crane said, leaning against the bookshelf. He didn't seem to have any interest or intention of joining his fellow criminals, and instead remained a fly on the wall as an observer with arms crossed in silent judgment. He had intended on remaining quiet most of the night, but he had become slightly intrigued by Lenore's presence, alleviating his boredom just a little as he watched her nervousness and fear come and go. It was entertaining, seeing her feeble attempts at keeping her composure just barely work every time she received attention from the others. He had to step in when the clown girl made that ridiculous request, however, he'd be damned if he had to listen to some idiotic tune during his visit. Lenore looked directly at him.

"Round Midnight?" she asked, and he nodded curtly.

"Should be simple enough." he said, looking over his glasses. "Unless you _can't_ , in that case I wouldn't understand why Oswald would even think you'd be worth sending here..." Lenore bit her cheek as she felt a sliver of anger well up inside her.

"I can, and I will, sir." she said, her voice course. Who did this guy think he was-

"Doctor..." Crane replied. "I am a doctor and you will regard me as such when speaking, thank you." he said. He gave a crooked smile as he watched her fight internally with herself to keep her mouth shut, her anger now plain on her young face.

"Yes...doctor..." she mumbled, and turned to the keys before anything else could be said between them. As she had promised, she was able to deliver the melody, and gave herself a mental clap on the back as she glanced over to see a small flash of interest cross Crane's otherwise calculating features. She even earned an excited clap from Harley when she was finished.

"Pretty!" she said, hopping to her feet before walking over to Lenore. Lenore didn't expect to be hugged around the shoulders by the clown girl, and stayed very still as Harley's breasts pressed against her back, the overpowering smell of cotton candy perfume almost dizzying her senses.

"Thanks..." she said quietly, wishing Harley would back away and take the overly sweet scent from her.

"Anything else?" Ivy asked Crane. He adjusted his glasses and remained silent, much to Lenore's pleasure. "Well, why don't you play one of your favorites then?" Ivy said, turning back to Lenore.

"Me?" Lenore asked.

"You're the entertainment." Ivy said. "Entertain me with one of your favorites."

"Oh, ok..." Lenore said, and slowly turned back to the keys. She thought for a moment, and finally hovered her fingers over the ivory. The tune was short and simple enough to finish quickly, so she began. "There is a castle on a cloud..." she sang low, and clearly, just loud enough to complement the melody without overdoing it. "...I like to got here in my sleep..." As she continued, she regained some of her confidence, looking up to each of the people around her. She saw Ivy and Harley watching with quiet interest, Ivy's little vine plant swaying back and forth. Riddler paid no mind, turning the page of his newspaper in disinterest. When Lenore saw Crane, however, she became curious. As she played, his gaze seemed become fixed on something miles away from where they were, his jaw set and his body still from whatever thought or memory haunted his mind. Shrugging, she dismissed the reaction and continued the melody until she was finally finished. She didn't really know why she liked the song so much, but when Theresa had brought home a book of sheet music from the Les Miserables play, Lenore became hooked on the tiny melody, and she learned quickly to play it perfectly whenever she wanted.

"Nice..." Ivy said softly, Harley nodding in approval.

"Now do the Charlie Brown song!" she said, and reached over to tap one of the keys repeatedly until Lenore gently lifted her hand away from it. It wasn't a play thing and Lenore did not appreciate anyone using it as such.

"Harley, heel." Ivy called at her in agitation. "No one wants to hear that-"

"But Scary got to hear his!" Harley said, pouting. "Oh, I know!" Harley lifted her skirt slightly to reveal a small revolver strapped to her upper thigh. She removed it from the holster and touched the barrel to Lenore's temple, one arm still wrapped around her shoulder. Lenore closed her eyes. She'd be killed by a crazy.

How lovely.


	4. Forgotten Fear

"Ohhhh..." was all she could say as the cold barrel dug into her temple. The Riddler peeked over his newspaper at the commotion and Ivy touched her fingers to her forehead in annoyance at her friend's momentary insanity. Harley grinned at Lenore.

"Play the song, uh...what's yer name?"

"Doesn't matter..." she replied. Her voice was even, but her hands shook terribly above the keys. Crane watched intently as she began the tune. Her nervousness made her hit the wrong key and Harley tsked at her.

" _Play it right_!" she demanded. Lenore heard the sound of the gun being cocked.

"Okay, okay..." she said. She wiped her sweaty hands on her pants and stretched her fingers before taking several deep breaths to calm herself. "All this for an education..." she said, not caring anymore who could or couldn't hear her. Her fingers went down on the keys and she restarted the melody as she continued speaking. "I'm twelve years old, playing piano for a bunch of criminals so I can pay for school." she said, tapping the keys a little harder as she vented. "You really start to wonder where the hell our economy is going when _kids_ resort to this. I mean, I was kicked in the guts today, practically threatened into entertaining these people, and now a gun is at my head, promising to _blow my brains_ out if I can't play this idiot song through correctly. But hell-" she said loudly now, slamming the last few keys as she finished the aggressively played melody. "-anything for a quick buck in this city, am I right?" she gripped the edge of her seat as he babbling stopped and waited for Harley to pull the trigger.

Silence.

Harley finally removed the gun from her head, wiping a tear from one of her large blue eyes.

"So beautiful," she choked. "Such raw emotion in one excellent piece." Lenore's eyes hooded when she realized she was talking about the song. These people were insane. "You're so talented!"

"Thank you..." Lenore said flatly. She wanted to lay down. All that sudden anger tired her out mentally, and she had only been there for about thirty minutes. She wondered if she'd survive the night at this rate.

"A lot of pent up anger in someone so young..." Crane said, walking up to her. Her peered down at her tired face as he reached her. "Where do you come from?"

"Oh...uptown..." Lenore answered. She wasn't about to give any of these people information on where she lived.

"That would make sense, of course you're lying, but I guess I'll accept that." Crane sat next to her, his eyes analyzing. "Don't want the big scary villains hurting mommy or daddy-"

"Not at all like that." Lenore said, remaining focused on the keys.

"Hm, so you're an orphan..." he said. Lenore felt her heart skip.

"How did-"

"I didn't." his answer interrupted. "You said it wasn't anything like what I said, and that included mommy and daddy, so I assumed, and then you confirmed..." he said. Lenore cursed herself for letting him get to her. He was a real piece of work, and only made her agitation rise since she'd arrived. "I shouldn't brag too much though, you're only a child. Information like that is simple to get from kids. Simple minds often let things slip." he said. Lenore coughed a short laugh. That'd done it.

"You assume too much, doctor." she said. He cocked his head to the side curiously.

"And how's that?" he asked. She turned to him then, looking him dead in the eyes.

"I'm not just some kid, first of all, else I wouldn't be here would I?" she asked. "Secondly," she leaned closer to him, the faint smell of cologne coming from him. "For a scarecrow, you don't seem to be too scary. Just an asshole..." His jaw set, and they glared at each other for a few silent moments. Harley looked back and forth excitedly between the two as they seemed to stare daggers into each other's souls.

"You..." he said quietly. "Are very fortunate that I don't feel like dealing with that Penguin's complaints tonight..." Lenore lifted her chin.

"You. Don't. Scare. Me..." she said. She wanted to scream at herself for what she was saying. This is exactly what Theresa had told her to stop doing. This wasn't some punk kid with a mouth. This was a truly terrifying criminal. _Batman_ fought this person. She was staring down a goddamn psychopath. But her need to defend herself got the best of her yet again, and she had nowhere to run.

She had no time to move when he shot his hand up to her face, pressing his fingers against a small pump that resulting in a small fog of chemicals shooting from a device attached to his wrist.

"Uh-oh!" Harley clapped her hands over her mouth and nose as she back away. Ivy glared at Crane.

"Really? _Kids_ , Crane?" she asked.

"You're one to talk, Isley. I don't discriminate when it comes to age..." he said, his eyes not leaving Lenore's as she inhaled the fumes. She shook her head, becoming slightly dizzy. "Especially when I'm being _ridiculed_." Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Doesn't that stuff affect you too?" she asked as some of the fumes wafted to his own face. He ignored it.

"Slightly..." he said, "It's not that potent, so it won't do much to me. _You,_ however..." regarding Lenore as she began to shake uncontrollably. "Might not feel very comfortable..." he smiled as Lenore bent over the keys, propping her arms on the row of polished ivory as she attempted to keep herself up. The keys all played at once in one loud note, racking her brain as the toxin took effect.

"Ugh..." she couldn't understand what was going on. Her vision became clouded as she continued to shake horribly, fear filling her heart and mind. She began to feel hot, and heard a roaring behind her. Fire. She turned her head to see behind her. Flames seemed to appear out of thin air and dance across the room. "Fire..." she mumbled, trying to stand. Her legs wouldn't budge though, and tears ran down her face as she stared wide-eyed at the flaming horror that only she could see. So this was fear toxin.

"Fire, eh?" Crane asked, adjusting his glasses as he stood up to watch her from a distance. "Why fire?" Lenore couldn't answer, she was too terrified to find her voice. Crane sighed and opened his tweed jacket to search one of his inside pockets. From it he pulled a small vial, opening it before smelling the fumes that rose from the entrance. He put it in front of Lenore's face, and she jumped. "It's an antidote. So either you smell this and calm down, or you keep shaking for another thirty-forty minutes, your choice, I don't really care." he said. Lenore leaned forward and inhaled the fumes then, hoping he wasn't lying. He wasn't, she thankfully realized, and felt the effects of his toxin slowly wear off. Once she got her breathing under control, she looked angrily up at him.

"You're despicable." she said. He shrugged.

"It's what I do, and I've been called much worse by much more relevant people, so don't assume you hurt me very much..."

"I'm sure..." Lenore tried to stand, but her legs were still shaky, and she quickly gave up on the attempt.

"Why fire?" Crane asked.

"Why do you care?" she asked. He raised his hand again, promising another dose if she didn't answer correctly. She smiled weakly at the threat. "Didn't you listen to Dan Fogelberg? 'Fire is the Devil's only friend'..." Crane's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I swear I'll-"

" _I don't know_." Lenore interrupted, throwing her hands in the air. "I honestly don't, call it an irrational fear if you want, I have no clue. It's always just...annoyed me, honestly." She looked to the white tile at her shadow. "Never even knew I was scared of it like that, to be honest. Learn something new everyday..."

"You've never experienced any trauma related to flames before?" Crane asked. Lenore shook her head.

"No trauma that I _remember_." she said. "But there's always the possibility."

"What do you mean?"

"First five years of my life are a total blank." Lenore explained, shrugging her shoulders. "Woke up one day with nothing but my name, then boom, right to the orphanage with me. _Maybe_ I could have experienced _something_ crazy with fire before that, but uh...guess we'll never know, hm?" she said. "Maybe you dug a little chunk outta that locked away box of memories with your perfume of evil there. Too bad it wasn't anything I could work with, haha."

"Oh my _gaawsh._.." Lenore found herself being pulled into a crushing hug from Harley large teardrops falling from the clown girl's face and onto Lenore's now messy hair. "Sooo sad little baby, I'll adopt ya, and me and Mistah J. will be yer new mommy an' daddy-"

"No thank you.." Lenore said under her breath. Crane said nothing as he continued to stare at Lenore being squeezed by Harley, gears seeming to whir in his head with new ideas that he would not disclose to anyone. Not yet.

"Ahhh, I see she has been enjoyed by you all..." came a voice that Lenore recognized. Harley released her and they moth moved to see Cobblepot making his way over to them, his cane once again doing most of the work of keeping him upright. Riddler huffed from his seat.

"Speak for yourself..." he said, and Penguin gave a fake laugh at the comment.

"You always were a picky one to please, Edward." he said, tossing keys to Riddler as he did. Riddler caught them in his gloved hand with ease. "Too bad I don't care, now, everyone's necessary items have arrived." He placed more keys on the table, each pair holding the name of the respective owner. Harley went over and picked up the pair with 'Joker' on the label. Cobblepot took off his top hat as a gesture of remorse. "So sorry that Joker did not make it out the Asylum with you, my dear."

"It's all good, Pengy." She said. "Soon as I'm in my outfit I'm headin' over to bust my dear puddin' out."

"Good luck to you, my dear." Penguin said, returning his hat to his head and turning to Lenore. "You did well tonight, kid." he said. She stood up.

"How do you know." she asked, and he grinned.

"You're still alive, after all." he replied, and pulled from his large jacket a money clip full of cash. He tossed it to her, and she snatched it out of the air, her eyes widening as she inspected it further. "That should be enough for the night, and if it isn't, too bad. You're dismissed for the evening." he said, and returned his attention to his guests. Lenore back away slowly, tucking the wad of bills as best she could into her vest. A hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped in shock.

"Spooked you, did I?" Crane asked as she spun around to see him watching her through his glasses. She sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"In more ways than one, _doctor_." she said. He held out his hand to take hers, and she nearly recoiled at the polite gesture.

"Bygones be bygones." he said. His voice was even, and she couldn't tell whether he was telling the truth. Typical head doctors. She finally decided to return the gesture, not wanting to anger him again. He squeezed it as she did and he gave a smile that sent shivers through her. "See you around..."

"Wh-" Lenore began, but Crane walked away before she could question him. "What..." she watched him return to the table, his focus on the information Cobblepot was putting out to the rest. She hesitated, then hurriedly made her way to the entrance before anyone else could stop her and creep up her evening even more. The hyenas growled and snapped at her, but she ignored them as she opened the door and exited. She finally had what she needed for school.

Everything was going to be alright.

…...

"Look at this..."

"How did you get that cash?"

"My job." Lenore replied, looking up to her friend as she showed him the money Cobblepot had given her the previous night. Timothy Drake looked back at her in deep suspicion, his brown eyes trying to find a lie in her facial features. They sat at a large dining room table on matching chairs at his new home some hours after he had picked her up to help him with homework. He'd been adopted three months ago by Gotham's favorite son, and even though Lenore was still used to the fact, she was happy for her friend. He'd been living in solitude for the last year and a half, and she had feared he'd eventually go down the same path his father had. Then Bruce Wayne showed up out of nowhere, apparently catching Tim attempting to steal his car's tires after on of many charity events. The unfortunate incident ended positively, with the billionaire deciding to adopt the little thief instead of having him sent to juvenile detention. Now Tim sat in front of her, considerably more happy than he had been in that old one room apartment he'd grown up alone in.

'Stays up later, though...' she thought, noticing the subtle dark circles under his eyes.

"He's never paid this much, Lenore..." he said, bringing her attention back to the subject. "Why the sudden generosity." Lenore ruffled his slicked back black hair.

"Must have left a good impression on him." she said. Tim was the only one who knew she was playing at the Iceberg Lounge. He didn't need to know about last night though, and she decided to just tell him it was luck.

"My hair!" he said, trying to pull it back into place. He scowled at her, and she laughed.

"Adopted three months and a billionaire brain has already been implanted into you." she said. He blushed.

"Has not..." he mumbled. Lenore tsked and nodded.

"True. If they did, then they would have given you some smarts too." she said, looking to the large stack of school books in front of them. Tim was never good with studying.

"Eh, it's boring, I'd rather go outside."

"Old guy said not until you finish your homework."

"His name is _Alfred._ "

"Right, right." Lenore said, looking around the room. It was only the dining room, but it was half the size of the orphanage. Fancy dinnerware was displayed in glass cabinets that lined the walls, and a large gold chandelier hung from the ceiling. She remembered the first time she visited, and she could barely contain herself from touching everything shiny, which was arguably most of the house. "I'd never get used to it..." she said.

"You think _I_ have?" Tim asked. She looked him up and down with hooded eyes.

" _Yes.._." she said, pointing at his outfit, a white button up shirt with a black blazer jacket that had a beautiful gold lion and letter 'G' stitched on the left breast pocket. His red and yellow tie was loosened sloppily and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. He scoffed.

"This is my school uniform." he said, "Gimme a break, will ya?" Lenore laughed.

"Just messing with you, man." she said. "Besides, I'll be wearing that soon enough now that I have _this_." she picked up the money clip and waved it in front of his face. He was serious again.

"Lenore, promise you didn't do anything, y'know, _wrong_ , to get that money..." said, and Lenore sighed.

"I promise, okay? I'm just as surprised as you are, seriously." she said, and put the money back in her bag.

"You know if I talk to Bruce-"

" _No_ , Timothy..." Lenore interrupted. She wasn't having this conversation again.

"He'd provide the money, I know he will." he went on.

"I'm doing this myself, Tim. I want to do it this way." she said, only half telling the truth. Another thing she failed to mention was that she partially took the job to keep the Penguin from doing anything harmful to Miss Theresa. So she decided to just be stubborn.

"Okay, okay, not that it matters anymore anyway, you're pretty much good on that." He patted her back. "Good job, forgot to say." She smirked, and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Thanks, now keep reading." she said, and he turned back to the english textbook in front of him. This was their relationship. Always looking out for each other since they met on the outskirts of the Narrows years ago. He'd been scrounging for anything of possible worth, and she had run away from the orphanage to explore. She was seven, he was eight, both looking for something better to kill the time. They got along quickly, and learned to fend for themselves, only relying on each other for help and company. When his no-good petty criminal father finally left for good, she offered him sanctuary at the orphanage. He refused, always saying his dad would return soon enough. Lenore finally let him win the argument, knowing it would go nowhere if she continued to prod the subject. Their stubbornness was the main thing they shared in common, so she understood, but kept a closer watch on him after that, making sure he stayed as much in line as possible. Everything seemed to work out in the end, though, and he thankfully was getting back to normal, if not better.

Tim yawned loudly and flipped the thick textbook shut. Lenore placed her chin on her hand. Now if only he could get proper sleep at night.

"Why do you stay up so late?" she asked. He paused as he slid the textbook away from him, as if searching for an excuse. Her eyes narrowed. "You've been playing those video games of yours all night, haven't you?" she asked, remembering how he had excitedly shown her his collection of consoles on her first visit. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Got me." he said with a crooked smile.

"Well if obsessed over your homework like you did those stupid games, you'd be much better off.." she said.

"You sound like Alfred, it's scary." Tim replied. "That's why you're here though, so I don't have to worry about all that."

"What grade do you think I'll be placed in..." Lenore asked, taking up one of the schoolbooks and flipping through the pages. Tim lay his head on the table.

"Well, you're getting me through my grade as it is, so definitely at least seventh grade." he answered. Lenore pouted.

"That's all?" she said.

"What, you wanna be a senior already?" Tim joked.

"I have places to be." Lenore replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, it's okay to take your time, Lenore..." he said. "If you run too fast, you might trip..." Lenore threw a pencil at him, watching it bounce off his shoulder.

"Look at you being all philosophical..." she said. He groaned.

"I hate that subject."

"Well guess what's next!" she said cheerfully, pulling that exact textbook from the pile and dropping it in front of him with a dull thud. Introduction to Philosophy. Tim's eyes watered as he beheld it's thick spine.

" _Nooooooo..._ "

…...

"You know we cold have taken the car..." Tim said later on. They walked down the cracked pavement as the wind dragged yellowed leaves across it. Lenore shrugged.

"I like walking, you did too once..." she said, elbowing him in the ribs. He coughed in surprise, rubbing the spot where she hit him.

"I do, I was just offering." he said.

"We're almost there anyway." Lenore said, pointing to the roof of the orphanage that peeked slightly over the row of old building in front of them. As they got closer, an orange cat darted in front of them. An empty can was tied with a shoestring to it's back leg, and it clamored noisily behind the feline as it attempted to run away from the infernal metal thing. "Aw, poor thing." Lenore tried to reach down and untie the string, but the cat ran off down a thin road that lead to the Narrows.

"Well," Tim said, stretching his arms over his head. "You tried-"

"Let's go get it." Lenore said, and started down the dimly lit street. Tim's brows rose.

"Why? It went to the Narrows, no point in looking."

"We can kill time." Lenore said, her pace not slowing. "Don't feel like going back just yet. It's been a while since we had a little adventure anyway, we could use a stretch."

"Speak for yourself..." Tim muttered.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing, nevermind." He said quickly jogging up to her before joining her pace, "Fine, but not for too long, oka-"

"There it is!" Lenore pointed excitedly as the orange cat showed itself once more, the can bouncing behind it as it darted down the road. Lenore took off, and Tim sighed before following her example.

She was surely something else.


	5. Fire and Smoke

"Shit!" Lenore said as she attempted once again to reach the orange cat. Tim smirked.

"You swear a lot." He said, watching her straighten up from her crouched position. "Does Theresa like that you do that?"

" _Swearing_ , Tim-bo," she replied, scanning the dilapidated buildings around them. "Is merely a way for people to place emphasis on a situation they either strongly enjoy, or strongly dislike."

"And how do you feel about this situation?" he asked, kicking a stray board that once aided in covering a broken window.

"Can't you tell?" Lenore replied, wiping some sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

"I honestly can't guess. You almost seem to be enjoying yourself." he said in amusement. She huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"I guess you could say I am."she said. "Haven't wandered around in a good while. Work makes me too worn out." she said. "I have the night off, so I might as well enjoy myself."

"Haven't been this way in a while, have we?" Tim asked. Lenore shook her head.

"Especially not during the day. The place looks so different. Less creepy when all the shadows are gone."

"Now it just looks sad..." Tim muttered, and they continued their walk, silently, turning corners when they thought they could hear the elusive cat stirring in a new direction. After what seemed like an hour, they finally cornered it by two grimy trash cans, and Lenore wrestled it, earning some small scratches as she untied the shoestring from it's leg. It darted away once she was finished, and she stood in painful triumph.

"Good deed done for the day." she said, tenderly tapping one of the scratches on her arm. Tim shoved his hands in his pockets.

"More like a _week._ " he said. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Stop being so rotten." she said, and took in her surroundings. "Have we ever been out this far?" she asked, not recognizing anything.

"I...don't know..." Tim said. He scratched his head as he tried to remember where exactly they were. Everything really did look so different during the day. Lenore whistled in small surprise, and he looked in the direction she was staring.

"What happened here?" she asked, regarding the skinny, two story wooden house. Much of it was charred, and seemed like it would cave in if you so much as sneezed in it's direction. The smoked windows were cracked or broken, and showed only darkness behind them. Lenore walked towards it, gingerly setting her foot on one of the burnt steps to see if she'd fall through. When she didn't, walked up to the opening where a door should have been, the frame covered by only a few planks of rotted wood.

"Where are you going?" Tim asked when she ducked under the planks and stepped inside.

"There might be some cool stuff in here," she said.

"If it wasn't burnt, it was probably taken already. We should go-"

"Chicken." Lenore said, cutting him off and walking further in. The light from outside offered little sight to the rooms, the walls were spotted with black char and the wallpaper that survived whatever arson occurred hung limply from the walls from humidity and neglect. The place indeed seemed stripped, the only remaining pieces of furniture laying in their own ashes. Lenore left what appeared to be the living room to a room behind it. It was a study, she concluded, as she looked at the many broken and burned bookshelves that lined the walls. Her eyes widened at the presence of an ancient piano sitting at the room's center. She walked over to it, pitying it's sorry state as her fingers trailed over the dark wood. Some of the keys were missing, and she tapped one of them gently. A small note escaped as she did so, and she smiled.

"There you go." she whispered to it, tapping the other keys. "You _still_ work, despite everything." She played a small melody on the incomplete keys. The piano needed some serious tuning, but Lenore ignored the incorrectness of the ivory. Something in the back of her mind stirred, and she felt a sudden pang of nostalgia as she finished. She wrote it off as enjoyment when she couldn't understand where the nostalgia could have spurred from.

"There _would_ be one..." Tim said, grasping her attention as he spotted the piano. He stepped carefully towards her, leaving footprints on the dusty floor. Lenore furrowed her brow at the imprints they both left. "What?"

"There's another set of footprints." she said, pointing to the floor. There indeed was a trail of larger prints that seemed to circle the room and lead back to the living room. Lenore followed them to a staircase that led to the second floor.

"That's a sign to leave." Tim said. "Unless you feel like dealing with an angry squatter."

"Mayyybe another time." Lenore said, and they both quickly and quietly exited the house, turning onto the sidewalk to make their way back to the oprhanage. "Jeez, that woulda sucked running into- _uff_!" Lenore stopped as she walked right into somebody, barely keeping herself from falling backwards.

"Idiots..." an agitated, familiar voice asked as she and Tim looked up to apologize. Their eyes widened in shock instead as the person in front of them looked back coldly through rectangular glasses.

"Oh, _crap_..." Lenore muttered as she watched Crane adjust his tweed jacket with one hand, his other holding a rather battered black briefcase.

" _You._.." He replied, and brushed his dark bangs from his eyes. He looked from her to Tim, who only stared back with a dark look of anger. Crane smiled. "Well, that's interesting. Wayne's brat all the way in the Narrows. Not very smart..."

"We were just passing through." Lenore said quickly.

"No one just _passes through_ this place." Crane said, noticing the dust and streaks of char on the children's clothes. His eyes narrowed as he looked to the house they had just exited. "Trespassing can get you _killed_ you know..." he said, looking back to Lenore slowly, anger plain on his face now. "And there are no _penguins_ here to keep you from being hurt." He looked back to Tim and gave a smile that sent shivers through Lenore. "But perhaps a ransom would be better, after I've done what I wanted, of course..." he pulled a burlap mask from beneath his jack. Tim widened his stance, looking to Lenore in warning.

"You need to-".

" _Run_!" Lenore yelled , kicking forward as best as she could, her foot colliding hard with Crane's shin. Crane shot his hand out as he crumpled, a fog of toxin escaping his sleeve and wafting around Lenore's face. She covered her mouth and nose with one hand and grabbed tightly onto Tim's wrist with the other before moving to get away from Scarecrow before he could stand up. Crane pulled a small knife from his jacket and slashed out as they passed him, cutting through Lenore's jeans and leaving a small gash on her leg. She grunted in pain, some of the fumes invading as she took a sharp breath. "Ohh..." she stumbled as the toxin quickly took effect, making her heart race and filling her mind with sudden terror. Tim grabbed her arm and pulled her up, picking her up bridal style before running down the street. She would have commended him for his sudden strength if she wasn't shaking from fear and the pain in her bleeding leg. She looked back at the doctor from over Tim's shoulder. The fire that she imagined swirled around him as he stared back, a manic smile spread across his face. Tears filled her eyes and she began to cry uncontrollably.

"I got you." Tim said, holding her tighter as he turned a corner.

"I-I believe you..." she muttered as the small sobs wracked her chest. Everything around seemed to become dark, and she couldn't tell if she was passing out or experiencing a new fear from the toxin. Thankfully, as her eyes became heavy, she realized it was the latter, and slowly became limp in Tim's arms as she lost consciousness.

Crane dusted himself off as he stood, his face flush and his hair in disarray. "That child..." he muttered, wiping the fresh blood on his knife off on his pants before stowing it away in his jacket. "I think I'll kill her..."

…...

"I just don't understand-"

"It's _fine_ , Theresa-"

"Don't you talk like that to me, young lady." Theresa paced the small kitchen at the orphanage as Tim wrapped a bandage around Lenore's leg. He'd proven quite knowledgeable with a first aid kit, cleaning the wound quickly without causing Lenore much pain. Theresa would have done it, but upon seeing the blood staining Lenore's pants as they walked in, she'd nearly fainted, leaving Tim to play doctor. "I just don't know why you always need to put yourself in such serious situations, Lenore." Theresa went on, holding up her hair to allow air to cool the back of her neck. Lenore shrugged.

"Didn't see that nail when I hopped the fence, is all. I'm sorry." she said.

"And _why_ on God's green earth were you hopping fences again?" Theresa asked.

"We were just trying to find a new shortcut back here." Tim said, going along with the lie. If Theresa knew the truth, there'd be a field day of cops and reporters outside the orphanage doors, and Lenore didn't need that kind of attention from the mass media right now, especially as she was potentially being hunted by a mad scarecrow at the moment.

"Well, see how _that_ turned out." Theresa replied, pointing to Lenore's wound. "Don't you have someone to drive you?" she asked Tim. He nodded.

"I personally thought that would be best." he said, shooting a glare at Lenore. She stuck her tongue out at him, and he pulled the bandage tight, earning a wince of pain from her. "But you know how us kids are." he said, and fastened the end of the bandage once he was finished.

"Well, for one thing, you are certainly grounded, Lenore. For _two_ weeks." Theresa said. Lenore rolled her eyes.

"Okay." she said. "Gotcha."

"And that means no helping with homework, either." she said. Tim huffed.

"Who's gonna write my science paper?" he asked. Lenore huffed.

"If you paid attention in class, you could." she muttered, and cleared her throat as an idea formed in her mind. "Theresa, by the way..." Theresa crossed her arms and let her go on. "So...there's this...scholarship thing..."

"Scholarship thing?" she asked, looking to Tim. He smiled at her, then looked to Lenore in an attempt to hide his confusion. Lenore continued.

"Yes, Tim told me about it a week ago. It's a once in a life-time thing, you know." Lenore said. "They're having an.. _.essay contest_...the winner of it will have a full ride scholarship granted to them for Gotham Academy. It's called the...Small Pockets, Big Minds... _Program_...and I entered." she finished, keeping very still as she gauged Theresa's reaction. The caretaker's mouth dropped open.

"Gotham Academy?" She asked. Lenore nodded. Theresa stared hard at the wall as the information ran through her mind, and she finally squealed with delight before taking Lenore into a tight hug. Lenore sighed with relief, giving a thumbs up to Tim as Theresa kept hugging her. He only looked back with agitation however, bringing his smile back when Theresa stood again to look at them both. "I'm so excited!" she said, "You'll do wonderfully, Lenore, I know you will!I have to tell Sarah!" she squealed again and ran off, leaving Lenore and Tim alone.

"Small Pockets, Big Minds, huh?" he asked amusedly.

"First thing I could come up with. It'll cover the reason I can go to school..." she said. Tim nodded.

"Did that toxin wear off yet?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was mostly gone before we got back. Thanks for waiting for me to wake up."

"No problem. Didn't feel like dealing with her alone." He said, referring to Theresa. "Would have been a nightmare."

"Yeah."

"Yeah..." silence filled the room as they continued to look at each other. "Lenore..." he finally said, and she braced for the question. "Why... _how_ did that nutcase recognize you?" he asked. Her eyes dropped to the floor as she gripped her shirt in her hands.

"You know that cash I showed you? The cash Cobblepot gave me?" she sighed as he nodded, leaning forward. "Cobblepot had me play for the Rogues...he paid me for that." Tim was quiet. "If I didn't do it...he threatened to do some pretty bad stuff, so I said hey, screw it, make some extra cash."

"Lenore-"

"I don't _need_ you to scold me, okay?" she said, not meaning to become angry. She couldn't help being defensive. Tim grabbed her hand, surprising her.

"I'm not...I'm just happy you're _okay,_ okay?" he said. "We all do what we have to do to get by, I know. I'm just glad you haven't gotten hurt." Tears filled Lenore's eyes, and she fought to keep them back.

"Tim, I don't know what I'm getting myself into. I can't tell anyone about this or I'll be screwed. I can't even leave my job or I'll be _screwed_. I can't blame anyone but myself for even getting into this situation. My whole life is a mess of missing memories and mistakes. I'm scared, sometimes."

"It's okay to be, Lenore. I'm here to talk about all of it. I won't judge. Not like I _can_." he said. Lenore made a weak crooked smile.

"Yeah..." she said, sniffing. "You're pretty messed up yourself." he smiled at the joke and pinched her arm lightly. "Ow." she said, feigning pain.

"Plenty more where that came from, if you keep teasing me." he said.

"Shut up, jerk."

"But seriously." he said. "If anything happens, just call. Don't hesitate." she chuckled.

"And what are you, gonna do? You were nearly held for ransom, remember?" she said. He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"I'll do whatever I need to do." he said. Lenore looked up at him, almost not recognizing him with such a look of solemn determination on his young face.

"I believe you..."

…...

" _Daddy..." Lenore's tiny body hid underneath a large bed, a small doll with black yarn hair and a purple dress clutched tightly to her chest. The yelling and screaming outside had woken her up, and she'd walked quickly to her father's room only to find him missing from his bed. Now she hid beneath it, terrified of the strange and raucous noises that she had never heard before. A brick crashed through the bedroom window, and she jumped, holding the doll tighter. "Daddy..." she repeated. No one came._

 _When smoke began to rise through the floorboards, she began to panic, moving from under the bed to climb on top of it to escape the sudden warmth of the floor. She began to cry when the smoke now seeped through the crack underneath the bedroom door. It was so hot. Where was her father._

" _Lenore!" her heart skipped when she finally heard his voice downstairs._

 _"I'm hear!" she shouted. She heard him stomp up the stairs, and braced herself as he kicked the door open. He stumbled in, a blanket over him to shield from the fire that followed. She couldn't focus on his face as he saw her. He rushed over to her and picked her up._

" _I'm scared!" she wrapped her arms around his neck, dropping the doll on the bed as he turned to leave._

" _Quiet, shhh." his voice was soft, but serious as he attempted to comfort her. "Don't be scared. Let's play a game." he said. "Keep your eyes closed until I say so, and you'll get a treat." Lenore made a small nod against his neck and shut her eyes tight. "No cheating." he whispered, and she felt them move quickly, doing as she was told as she felt them descend the stairs, the air becoming very hot around them. She heard a loud roaring as the air became hotter. Smoke filled her nose and she coughed._

" _Dadd-"_

" _Hold your breath!" he said loudly over the roar. She did as she was told. They stopped descending, and she guessed they were in the living room. Maybe the game was almost over. "Ungh!" Lenore suddenly felt herself be flung to the floor, hitting her shoulder hard against a corner. She sat up painfully and opened her eyes._

 _She screamed._

 _Fire enveloped the entire living room, the flames licking the walls devilishly as they spread further and further upward and around. She looked around wildly to find her father. He was on the floor, charred floorboards from the second story littered around and on top of him. She saw a small pool of blood become larger around his head. He didn't move._

" _Daddy-" she moved to crawl to him, but the fire spread in front of her so she could get no closer. "Help..." her next word was small, almost soundless as dread filled her and the flames moved closer to the still body in front of her. She leaned against the wall as the smoke grew thick._

 _A crash sounded, and two police officers came stumbling through the front door. She watched them eye the flames._

" _I saw him come in here-"_

" _There he is!" they both looked at her father, their guns raised. When they saw he didn't move, they holstered their weapons. "Let's get him outta here, he ain't getting off the hook that easy, the fuck-"_

" _Hurry up, this whole place is up in flames!" they cleared the debris off of the body and lifted him up by the arms. He twitched then, and his eyes slowly opened as they dragged him towards the exit. He coughed from all the smoke that had invaded his lungs. His eyes landed on Lenore's small body, and she looked back weakly._

" _You idiots-" he coughed again, attempting to free himself. The officers shook him once as they tightened their grip to keep him from escaping._

" _Shut the hell up, you're lucky we're saving your disgusting ass." One cop said._

" _No...she's right there!" his voice was hoarse as his eyes locked with Lenore's. Brown eyes, filled with terror. Lenore raised an arm out to him, her hand outstretched as they brought him out the door, gone forever._

 _The hot flames licked at her feet, and she dragged herself to the entrance of another room that was yet to be touched by the fire. The smoked made her body weak, and it took everything to bring herself over to the piano at it's center. She crawled beneath it and collapsed. She was so tired. Her eyelids became heavy as she watched the fire finally making its way into the room with her. She gripped one of the legs of the piano in her small hand._

" _I live...in a cas...tle..." she mumbled to herself. "On a..cloud..." her eyes closed and the world became dark. "Don't be scared..."_

"Don't!" Lenore's eyes shot open and she sat bolt-right up in her bed. She was drenched in sweat as she breathed heavily. "What- _ugh_!" a sharp pain hit her head, and she gripped her sweat-soaked hair. The pain was nearly excruciating, and she buckled over as it pulsed through her skull. She fell out of bed with a loud thump. " _Shhhhit!_ " she shouted, the pain from hitting the floor mixing with the pain in her head.

"Lenore?" Theresa called from outside, knocking once before entering. Her eyes widened at Lenore, and she rushed over to the child in panic. " _Oh my god_ , are you alright? _Lenore_!"

"I..." Lenore finally managed once the pain in her head finally began to recede. "I'm okay...killer headache." she said, sitting up.

"You're covered in sweat. What happened?" The caretaker took Lenore's face into her hands, her eyes filled with worry. Lenore was quiet for a long moment, and finally spoke, her words low and shaken.

"I think I... _remembered_ something..."


End file.
